CLASS 20
Locomotive Services Nos. 20096+20107 Jocelyn Feilding 1940-2020 spent the week beginning February 13, on training runs from Southall to Canterbury West via Airport Junction, West Drayton and Swanley and back by way of Sandwich, Dover Priory and Tonbridge. On February14, No. 20096 was used solo. The pair returned to Crewe on February 20.
CLASS 37
Scottish Railway Preservation Society’s preserved No. 37403 Isle of Mull and Jason Hall’s No. 50008 Thunderer played their part in two Branch Line Society railtours over the weekend of February 11 and 12. The ‘Wolf Hall Thunderer’ charter on February 11 left Derby bound for St Pancras and then to Shepperton, Wimbledon, Hampton Court, Waterloo and Chessington South before heading back to Derby. Next day the two locomotives handled the ‘Technical Cobra’ tour from Derby to Pontefract Monkhill via Barnsley and Wakefield. The Class 50 was detached at Gascoigne Wood allowing No. 37403 to take the train to Falkirk Grahamston and back to its Bo’ness base.
Making a rare visit to the Southminster branch, Direct Rail Services Nos. 37419 Carl Haviland 1954-2012 and 37401 Mary Queen of Scots ‘top and tailed’ a rake of autoballasters forming the 6P21 04.55 North Fambridge-Whitemoor on February 1 returning to Southminster during the evening of February 2. Next day Nos. 37419 and Rail Operations Group 37601 Perseus (the latter hired to DRS) teamed up and headed off to Tonbridge where they undertook a test run to Ashford with snowploughs ADB965211/237.
On February 4 the ‘37s’ ran light to work the 7Z21 11.22 snowplough test run (on February 5) from Taunton Fairwater to Highbridge Loop and back with ploughs ADB965223/235. Partnering saloon No. 975025 , EE Type 3 No. 37418powered the 2Z01 08.44 Stoke-on-Trent to Euston (February 1) later ran from Carlisle to York via the Settle & Carlisle line, Bradford Forster Square and Ilkley.
